The Vermin's Gambit: Part I
= The Vermin's Gambit part I = From the Redwall Wiki, your Redwall news and information resource. < User blog:Silverfalcon Pikehawk Jump to: navigation, search This is a fanfic by Silverfalcon Pikehawk. Credit for pic goes to Sambrook. Enjoy! Prologue The old dormouse yawned cavernously and looked at all the young beasts staring at him with large, expectant eyes. He blinked a few times then asked, "Do ye want to hear a story?" The Dibbuns answered him loudly in one voice: "Yes!" The dormouse opened his eyes wide, blinked, shook his head then said: "Which one?" "A new one!" "A new un, eh? Hmm let me see... ah yes I have one! It's 'bout a sea otter an' 'is mateys who set out to rid a far away land of a vicious wildcat and his vermin hoards..." Book one: The Mistland Alliance [1] Chapter one On Stormgale Galedeep's 17th day of birth, his parents, Seadog and Watercress, let him have a little more leeway. Meaning he could swim around the Arrgilian Ships, not to the Mistland Shores, as he thought it meant. He swam to the closest shore of Mistland thinking he was alone... he was wrong. Lt. Bulltrek O. Duffeild and his wife Dinnia with their son Lev, watched the sea otter practicing his javelin throwing. Bulltrek chuckled to himself and said, "Now there is a beast who can throw the ole' stick around aint' 'e Dinnia m' dear? Wot" Dinnia shook her head, "Hmmph! I shoulda known, Warbeast, Right?" Bulltrek shook his head to, "No, no, no! Dinnia, darlin', 'es a Galedeep or a Streambattle or somethin'?!" Lev pulled his father's frock coat hem, "Dadda, that beast be'se acomin' this way." Bulltrek walked out in front of Stormgale with his paw on his sword hilt and said: "State ya name an' ya rank!" Stormgale shot to attention, knowing a good officer when he saw one, "Yes sah! Stormgale "Silvereye" Galedeep sah! Not shore on the rank sah!" Bulltrek laughed, "Hahahahaha! I see! I see! Vermin!" Stormgale and the other creatures turned and surely enough there were five weasels and a pine marten running down the sand dune. Stormgale threw his javelin, striking a weasel in his open mouth. one of the faster weasels was fighting Bulltrek, the Salamandastron hare skipped to the right and brought his broad sword slamming down on the weasel's neck. The weasel's head rolled into the loam. the pine marten yelled to the remaining three weasels: "Take them alive yew idiots!" Dinnia and Lev fell unconscious, Bulltrek also fell, Stormgale tackled the pine marten, setting his teeth into his shoulder. the remaining weasels pried the sea otter off the marten. The pine marten stood rubbing his shoulder. he glared into the silver eyes of the sea otter then said, "I'll teach yew to do that to Bitrafe, second-in-command and seer to Bloodclaw, Lord of the Mistland Shores!" Blackness. Chapter two Stormgale awoke to the lancing pain in his head. his black tunic was torn and hanging loosely from his tall, heavily muscled, sinewy body. He tried to sit up but a strong paw pushed him back down. A kindly yet strong voice sounded out, "Lie down. yore badly hurt." Stormgale looked into the amber eyes of a chocolate-black lab. she smiled and said, "Mornin' mate. how did ye get captured?" The sea otter looked at the dog then said, "They ambushed me and three hares. I'm Stormgale Galedeep. Though sometimes I'm called Silvereye because my eye color and the silver fur around my eyes. Whats yer name matey?" The lab looked around then said, "I'm Bailey. I come from the Lands of Ice and Snow but I was forced to flee when the wolves retook it. Their leader was called Snowhide, a giant white wolf who killed my family. I've sworn to kill him or to help in his demise." Stormgale looked into the vengeful eyes of Bailey. is it just me or did her eyes glint red? he thought. Bloodclaw looked to his pine marten, "Bring that otter to me." Bitrafe bowed and said, "Yes, my lord" The marten walked over to Stormgale and began unchaining saying, "Well otter, the Lord of the Mistland Shores wishes to see ya. I wonder why?" Stormgale looked at the pine marten then said mockingly, "So, yer master only managed to become lord of the Mistland Shores?! what? Did a couple of young un's keep 'im from movin' farther inland?" Bitrafe smacked the young sea otter across the face with the flat of his blade yelling, "You won't be so smart-mouthed when Lord Bloodclaw is threw witchya!" "So? What if I am still smart-mouthed with 'im? What'll 'appen to me, eh?" Bitrafe signaled to two guards, a stoat and a ferret, saying, "Flay, Vurran! Put a gag on this otter and shut 'im up! I can't stand his talking!" The two guards walked forward and gagged Stormgale. The ferret guard was tall, strong, and around the same age as Stormgale, he had black fur streaked with white. He had two, two feet long claw weapons, a dagger, and a spear. He wore a pure white tunic,and a headband of the same color, his eyes were of the same color as his clothes. The stoat was shorter than the ferret and much older. His fur was brown streaked with gray, he had a long whip tipped with a ax-pike head, and a sword. He wore a tan tunic and a red bandanna. They led Stormgale, along with Bitrafe, to Bloodclaw. The wildcat scratched his neck fur saying, "So otter, what's ya name an' from do ya come?" Stormgale looked at the wildcat and said nothing. Bloodclaw tried again, "I said, who are you an' where are ya from?!" Silence. The wildcat stood up out of his chair and said again, "Who are you and where are ya from otter?!?!?!" Silence. Bloodclaw reached down and grabbed Stormgale by the throat, his claws penetrating the otter's skin, "I've had enough of your silence otter. if you don't talk soon you'll never talk again! So who are you and where a you from?" Stormgale responded to this by coughing up and spitting blood into the wildcat's face. Bloodclaw threw Stormgale into a nearby thorn bush. the otter laughed mockingly at the enraged warlord, "Hahahahaha! pore pore pussy cat, what? Ya need yore mother to tuck ya in and wipe that blood of ya face?" Bloodclaw signaled to Bitrafe, "Bring me that 'ook-sword! The 'ook-sword ya idjit!" Bitrafe handed the sword to Bloodclaw. it was a straight sword except for the end which was curved so much it formed a hook on the end of the sword which, in the skilled-paw became a deadly wezapon. Bloodclaw started heating the blade end over the fire the was nearby. Once the blade-end was red-hot Bloodclaw signaled to Bitrafe and a fox to hold Stormgale. Once the mocking sea otter was unable to struggle properly Bloodclaw ripped some of Stormgale's already tattered tunic off form around his right shoulder he put the blade end on the patch of fur... ~+~ The mouse Auratax and the squirrel Maron leaped up at the sound of Stormgale screaming. Maron spoke to his travelling companion, "Och, ye'd think it'd be some beast bein' slaughtered! What was that?" Auratax answered his border-land friend, "It sounded like it was little Lev Duffeild back at Fort Argilon when we was livin' there with yore tribe old Goldenfur, when his ole mum wouldn't let 'im 'ave 'is own way. Though this sounded more grown up and more like an' otter than a 'are leverat." Maron agreed, "Yes, yer right. Lets go get Coal, Riverdart, and Marroc and go check it out" Auratax nodded, "Yes, lets" ~+~ Stormgale was re-gagged and taken back to the prisoners. the stoat Flay had been ordered to whip Stormgale and the ferret Vurran was odered to hang him upside-down for a day Both guards weren't overly enthusiastic on doing ether, "I don't understand mate I just don't understand!" Flay said Vurran nodded and shrugged, "Aye mate! But orders is orders!" Flay nodded, "Yes, yes, I know! But I have a axe-pike blade on the end of me whip! I'd kill the otter not wound 'im!" Vurran nodded his head once more, "Well why not take of the blade?" Flay dashed the idea against the rocks and killed it, "No!!! I can't take the blade off! Wait, I'll get my other whip!" Vurran looked at the stoat, "You mean the one jus' like that one you have there but only with the cat o' nine tails end instead of the blade?" The stoat nodded, "Aye, that's the one. Though it will still hurt more than a normal whip, it will hurt less than a blade." Flay went and got the whip. When he returned he asked, "How many times did Bloodclaw want me to whip 'im?" "Five times. Or until he cries out" Vurran answered Flay nodded, "Alright. Otter, you might want to cry out as soon as you feel the fifth one." Stormgale had successfully chewed through the gag and said, "Will do!" Flay drew back the lash and let of five, swift strikes across Stormgale's back. Stormgale yelled when the fifth hit him. Vurran cut his bonds with his dagger, he then put multiple heavy chains on his paws, kicked his paws out from under him, and hung upside down. The sea otter started swinging back and forth from the ropes which bound his footpaws to the tree limb. Vurran looked at Flay,"I think ye 'it 'im to 'ard. He looks as if he's gone off his rocker!" Flay nodded, "Aye! That's what I get for likeing to whip things!" Bloodclaw then strode into the clearing with Bitrafe in tow. He lifted the hook-ended sword and said to Vurran, "Where is Flay? And why has the otter gone of his knocker?" Vurran answered, "Flay hit the otter to 'ard with the whip I think, her went off to get his other whip." Bitrafe nodded, "Ahh! Now there's a good hordecreature, always takes care of his weapons, and makes sure they're with him at all times!" Bloodclaw drew back the sword, "Well, he will have to be taught a lesson! And this otter must have some sense knocked into him!" Bloodclaw swung forward, he felt the sword torn from his grasp, a whip cracked as it happened, Stormgale swung forward harder catching BLoodclaw under his chin, throwing him back and knocking him unconscious, Bitrafe was about to yell the alarm when he fell unconscious, knocked out by a sharp blow from Vurran's spear butt. Flay cut Stormgale down form the tree, he didn't take the chains of though, the sea otter fell with a clink of the chains he stood up, "You thickhead! You fer-ummff!" Vurran had a rag in Stormgale's mouth, Flay nodded thankfully and addressed the irate otter as he unlocked the chains, "Listen now young un'! Take this sword, ye'll need it. Now let's go QUIETLY and try not to get caught!" "To late, traitors!" The three creatures turned, there was a rat with an arrow aimed at Stormgale's head, suddenly another arrow seemed to grow out of his eye. The rat fell forward, the squirrel Maron, and the mouse Auratax came running up. Maron fitted another arrow to his bow and took aim at Flay, vurran charged forward and knocked the bow out of the squirrel's paws. Auratax drew his sword and swung at the ferret's head, he found his sword blocked by Stormgale's, the two fought until both were unarmed, they started fighting tooth and claw. Two more squirrels and another otter came running up, one squirrel had coal black fur, which earned him his namen he had a sword in one paw, and a small loaded crossbow in the other, he was an older creature. The other squirrels had brown fur mixed with golden. he had a sword behind his back and two of the small crossbows in his paws, his name was Marroc. The otter had a cutless in his waist sash and a sling in his paws, his name was Riverdart. Coal addressed Stormgale, "What are you doing helping these vermin?" Stormgale replied, "Keeping them alive gramps! They were helping me escape until you five cam along!" The old squirrel replied, "You need counseling!" "No! I need out of hear! now tell all yer friends to let down their arms or this'n losses 'is 'ead!" To prove his point Stormgale pressed harder with the two swords he was holding. Coal nodded, "Let down yer arms. Maron keep yer dirks on that ferrets neck like this disrespectful otter does to Auratax!" Stormgale looked over, the golden-furred squirrel called Maron had Vurran in a likewise position as he had the brown mouse called Auratax. Flay had is sword drawn but let it fall to the ground when he saw that they were outnumbered, he called to Stormgale, "Let 'im go mate! We'ed last as long as babe in a lifeboat at sea against this lot!" Stormgale nodded, he released the mouse and was about to give him back his sword when he thought better of it, "I'll return this if ye let the ferret go!" Maron did so. Stormgale gave Auratax his sword back. The company Walked forward, Stormgale apologized to Coal for his previous behavior, "Sorry mate. I didn't mean to be so disrespectful, but you would be the same if you were CUT DOWN BY A STOAT WHO FERGOT TO TAKE 100-POUND CHAINS OFF YER PAWS!" "Hey! At my age it's hard to ferget things!" Stormgale was about to reply when Auratax, or Tax as he liked to be called, held a paw, "Shhh! Listen!" The company cocked their ears in the direction that Tax had indicated, the heard many screams and yells, "Restrain her!" "She's loose! Watch out!" "Get her-gaaahhh!" There then followed a series of wet snapping sounds and many anguished screams. The broken and torn body of a rat came flying towards them and crashed into a tree, the tree half, fell over with the force. The company walked up to the body, Vurran retched, "Bllrrrg! Oh is that? Oh that's all that's left o' Slackjaw!" Everyone but Flay asked, "Whose Slackjaw?" Flay replied, "A rat soldier, though he can hardly be reckonised as that now!" What Flay spoke was true, practicly every bone in the rat's body was broken, he was ripped almost in half and in multiple other places, his lower jaw was missing, and his heart was ripped out of his chest! Category:Silverfalcon Pikehawk Category:Fanfiction Category:OC-Centric